The Fathead poster of Jeremy Lin, for $99.99, has overtaken that of New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady as the top seller, the fastest turnaround in company history.

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Addressing the media before a morning shootaround, the 23-year-old with the most points through his first four starts in modern NBA history was asked to acknowledge his Chinese fans in a city where Asians make up 10% of the population.

In a subdued voice, the NBA's first American-born player of Chinese or Taiwanese descent offered in Mandarin, "Thank you for watching us play basketball."

The undrafted Harvard graduate, picked up on waivers this season by New York, has led the Knicks to five consecutive victories and averaged 26.8 points since being pressed into duty by the absence of stars Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire.

Lin, who aspires to become a preacher after his NBA career, said his ascension into the NBA's spotlight is a "miracle from God."

"I don't think anybody expected this to happen the way it's happened," Lin said. "I think it's a credit to the coaching staff, the team, our whole team buying into what we think is the right way to play."

Toronto has almost 500,000 citizens of Asian descent to greet the new-look Knicks. Air Canada Centre, basketball capacity of 19,800, is nearing its first Raptors sellout since the season opener, not to mention the roughly 50 additional credentials issued to media.

Dozens of local media were turned away, and attention from the Asian community has rivaled the first visit to Toronto of Chinese-born center Yao Ming when he played for the Houston Rockets, according to Raptors media relations director Jim LaBumbard.

Lin addressed one question about race Tuesday, a day after boxer Floyd Mayweather tweeted that the only reason the point guard has become a national sensation is because he's of Asian descent. Lin said he wouldn't try to guess if his race were playing a role in his stardom.

Lin's next challenge will be incorporating Stoudemire and Anthony into the offense. Stoudemire returns tonight after taking time to grieve the death of his brother, and Anthony is expected to return from a strained groin within the week.

In an interview Monday with New York's WFAN Radio's Mike Francesa, Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni was asked if he would speak to Lin about having to take fewer shots when Stoudemire and Anthony return.

"We really don't talk about the number of shots or call a guy's play. I don't like that," D'Antoni told Francesa. "We let the ball flow and usually the ball finds energy. Usually the ball finds guys that are good."

D'Antoni on Tuesday said Lin has been a leader on the floor, but not necessarily a big voice in the locker room.

"It's not yet his team," D'Antoni said. "But it's getting close."

Lin, however, deflects attention away from any suggestion of that.

"We have two of the top 10 scorers in the league coming back and we're excited about it," Lin said, anticipating Stoudemire's return tonight. "We need to keep things the same. Keep it fast-paced. Amar'e is the most lethal pick and roll player there is so he'll have no problem fitting in."

NBA Commissioner David Stern has taken note of the "phenomenon," as he terms it, of Lin.

"I think it's a huge win for the NBA Development League (one of the stops for Lin before the Knicks) because what we do is, we keep players around to give them that one more shot — and you never know," Stern said Tuesday to USA TODAY's Jeff Zillgitt.

"The conventional is wisdom is that you know everyone who's going to be coming into your league by the time of the McDonald's High School All-American game. It's so much fun to see some unpredictability thrown in, and I hasten to add, it's been five games only. So we'll see. I think it's wonderful."

But asked if there were any chance of adding Lin to the Rising Stars game All-Star weekend, featuring rookies and second-year players, Stern said, "No." That doesn't preclude Lin from appearing in one of the skills competitions, however.

D'Antoni joked that the Knicks must be in the playoffs after seeing the media assembled Tuesday morning. He stopped short of saying Lin was playing at an All-Star level, explaining the second-year player must improve on his ball control.

"It's only five games, but he's playing at a very high level," D'Antoni said. "He does have about eight turnovers every game, so there are some things he can get better at."

Lin had six turnovers in the 100-98 win Saturday at the Minnesota Timberwolves, yet finished with 20 points, eight assists, six rebounds and three steals. That left the Knicks at 13-15, holding the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference entering Tuesday.

"He got tired and he made some mistakes," D'Antoni said. "We still won the game on the road. We'll cut the turnovers way down. He'll do that."

Lin admitted that going from spot duty to leading the charge has worn on his body. He sat out practice Monday in New York with an ankle injury but participated in Tuesday's shootaround in preparation for the 9-20 Raptors.

Toronto coach Dwane Casey said Lin's story could make for a Hollywood ending.

"In the biggest market in the world, in New York, he becomes an overnight sensation," Casey said. "You go from being in the D-League on waiver wire, getting picked and now he's a starter on one of the prime teams, historical teams, in the NBA.

"You can't say he's a flash in the pan, he's done it for five games, against some quality teams. He's taking advantage of his opportunity, and that's what you tell players all the time, be ready when your number is called — and he's done that."

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